James f



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Y AMEs F. THAYER, or rnovrnnnon, nnonn ISLAND.

IMPLEMENT FOR ATTACHING BUTTONS.

$PECIPIQAI'I ONforming part of Letters, Patent No.295,954, dated April 1, 1884.

Application filed January 28, 1884. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern; I

Be it known that I, Janus F. Tnavnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Implements for Attaching Buttons; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact desoription'of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an implement for securing buttons to leather or other material by means of a metallic fastening consisting of a headed tack having a malleable point to pierce the material and be clinched around the eye of the button. The implement employed in the present instance consists, essentially, of two jaws'or members pivoted together and operated like pliers, one of the said members being provided with a tack-holding device of novel construction to engage theheaded portion of the fastener and hold it in proper position to pierce the material, and arranged to be disengaged from the head of the fastener previous to its reaching the under surface of the material, it being operated by an arrange ment on the opposite member of the implement. The other jaw or member has an anvil piece or die arranged at its front end, and a device for holding the button-eye directly over the die until the point of the tack held in the opposite member has pierced the fabric and button-eye and come in contact with the (lie, when the said holding device is removed from the button-eye, the whole implement being arranged and adapted for use as will be more clearly described hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 repreresents a side View or elevation of my improved button-setting implement complete, with button and fastener in position and open ready for attachment. Fig. 2 represents a similar view, the front end being partly in section, showing the implement closed, and also showing a button secured to fabric with a headed tack. Fig. 3 is a top view of my improved implement. Fig. 4. is an under side yiew of the front of upper jaw, showing button-holding device. Fig.5 is a top view of frontend of lower jaw, showing tack-holding device. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of both members of the implement, showing position of button-holding device and tackholder. Fig. 7 is also a sectional view of implement, showing bent pin for operating the tack-holding device. Fig. 8 is a View of button-holding device, the other view being shown in Fig. 4.

The following is a detailed description of the several parts constituting my improved button-securing implement.

A and 13 represent, respectively, the upper and lower members of the implement pivoted at a, the member A being provided at its front end with a point-deflecting die, I), wrought in the under surface thereof. Partially encircling this die is a metallic device for holding a button, of novel construction, which constitutes the first important feature of my invention. This button-holder D consists of a plate, (I, from one side of which extends a forked spring, 0, for holding the button-eye in position, as shown in Fig. 1. The plate d is further provided on its opposite side with a projection, c, which, with the rear portion of the forked spring a, is fitted to the front portion of the member A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and adapted to slide easily thereon. The plate d is further provided with a slot, a, through which a headed screw, I), is passed to secure the holder D to the member A; also to allow the holder to move freely back and forth by said slot to. At one end of said holder D is secured a pin, 0, for engagement with the cam-slot e of the cam-lever w. This cam-lever 00 consists of a metal plate secured to the member B in front of the pivot a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, partially in dotted lines, and is provided with an upwardlycurved arm, having a cam-slot, c. This camlever 40 is connected to the button-holder D by 'means of the pin a, before described, which moves freely in the cam-slot c.

This completes the first part of my inven tion, the other part of which consists of the spring-lever m, pivoted at n to the member B, as shown inFig. 5, and is provided with a side recess, 10, which is designed to embrace the prong of the fastening-tack r and retain it in position previous to its being passed through the fabric and button-eye. At the opposite end of the lever m is a recess, 0, in which the bent pin m is operated. This bent pin m is secured to the member A in front of the pivot 11, and consists of a metallic pin or projection curved in one direction, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and has an offset or double curve at its lower portion, as shown in Fig. 7. In the member B, in front of the pivot to and directly under the pin m, is an opening, 02, into which said pin has free access, as shown. There is also formed in the member B at the front end an. indentation, '0, corresponding to the form of the head of the fastening-tack used. When the lever m is in the position shown by the full lines in Fig. 5, the recess 19 of the lever m stands directly over the indentation v, and on the lever assuming the dotted-line position (shown also in Fig. 5) it is allowed to drop onto a lower plane, 10, as shown in Fig. 6.

.The operation of attachment is as follows: The members of the implement are first opened.

The eye of the button sis then pressed between the die I) and the end of the forked spring a, holding the eye firmly by its fiat surface, the recess in the forked spring 0 allowing the point of the fastening-tack r to pass through it and the button-eye, as shown in Fig. 1. The head of the fastening-tack r is then placed in the indentation v, the side recess, 19, of the lever m encircling the prong of thetack, the lever being in position as shown in full lines in Fig. 5, thus holding the tack r firmly in position ready for attachment, the pins m being in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the lower end of the pin m just entering the recess 0 of the lever m. The fabric a is then placed between the end of the fastening-tack r and the buttoneye 8, and the two members, on being contracted, cause the point of the tack r to pierce the fabric and button-eye, and on coming in contact with the deflectingdie I) is caused to turn and be deflected about the button-eye. On the point of the fastening-tack r reaching the die I), however, the slot 6 of the camlever a; commences to operate on the pin 0 of the holder D, causing the forked spring 0 to commence to release the button-eye s, the pin m at the same time commencing to release the head of the fastening-tack r, and a final contraction of the members of the implement causes the cam-lever w and pin m to each perform their separate functions until the tackm has completely secured the button to the fab ric, when the button-eye will be found to be completely released from the forked spring 0, which is drawn back by the movement of the cam-lever w,- also, the spring-lever m. will be found to have entirely released the head of the fastening-tack r, and assumed the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and, being free from the embrace of the recess 1) of the lever m, the head of the fastening-tack can be pressed closely against the under surface of the fabric, as fully shown in Fig. 2, the pin on being in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 7.

On opening the two members of the implement the button and fastening-tack can be easily removed, and the button will be found to be securely attached to the fabric.

By means of my present improvementI am enabled to furnish an instrument which will obviate the necessity of holding the button with the thumb and fingers during attachment, or of placing the button-eye over the prong of the fastener after it has been pressed through the fabric, as the eye is held firmly until just before the final clinching,when it is released, as before described.

It is evident that the herein-described de* vices for holding the button-eye and fasteningtack may be adapted to be used on a power or foot machine without departing from the spirit of my invention; also, the form of the spring-lever and cam-slot and bent pin may be varied to correspond with the size and form of the fastening-tack or the direction of the deflection of the prong of the tack used without departing from the original design, which is to hold the button-eye and fasteningtack firmly until the tack is pressed against the deflecting-die, after which the button-eye andtack are both allowed to be released, as described.

Having described my invention, what claim is 1. In an implement for attaching buttons to fabric, the member A, provided with a buttonholding device and curved bent pin m, in combination with the member B, provided with the spring-lever m, arranged and adapted for use substantially as described.

2. In an implement for attaching buttons to fabric, the member B, provided with a tackholding device and cam-lever m, in combina tion with the member A, provided with the plate (1 and die 1), arranged and adapted for use substantially as described.

3. In an implement for attaching buttons to fabric, the herein-described button-holding device D, consisting of the plate (I, having slot a, pin. c, and forked spring 0, in combination with the slotted cam-lever 00, arranged and adapted for use substantially as described.

4. In an implement for attaching buttons to fabric, the herein-described tack-holding device, consisting of the spring-lever'm, having recesses 12 and o, in combination with the curved and bent pin m, arranged and adapted for use substantially as described.

5. The herein-described button-attaching implement, consisting of member vA, having dieb, button-holding device D, and bent pin m, and the member B, provided with tack-holding device m, indentation *0, and cam-lever m, the whole combined and arranged substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. THAYER. 

